Chandigarh: 50% of Covid victims had diabetes or hypertension

CHANDIGARH: As many as 50% of the 19 patients who died of Covid- 19 in the city had hypertensive and/or diabetes, while three had no underlying conditions, according to doctors underlining the risk of mortality from the virus as the two diseases lower the immunity.
“The entry of the virus is through ACE receptor. It is assumed that there is increased expression of ACE receptors in diabetics and heart patients. However, this is yet to be proven. Moreover, the medicines for diabetes/ heart patients enhance the expression of ACE receptors. So, diabetics and heart patients are higher risk of mortality when inflicted with Covid,” said Prof Sanjay Bhadada, department of endocrinology, PGI.
Two patients who died had both hypertensions and diabetes, while three had only diabetes and six had chronic heart disease or hypertension. If the medicines increased the expression of ACE receptors, should they be stopped, or dosage reduced? “This is not recommended yet as the benefit of the medicines is more than its harm during Covid,” said Prof Sanjay.
The age of the heart patients who died varied between 80 years and 61 years. Those who had no other comorbidity was a three-dayold girl, a 46-year-old woman from Kajheri and a 96-yearold man from Sector 45, who had a paralytic attack some years ago.